In Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso, many bars book Cuban style bands to play the hits of the legendary Buena Vista social club. The crowd are often aged 60-70 years plus, but still know how to cut shapes on the dance floor. The popularity of Cuban music here dates back to the days of one-time President Thomas Sankara, a figure who sought inspiration in the revolutionary politics and music of his Cuban contemporaries.
Djibo, a dusty town in northern Burkina Faso, has become a byword for suffering in this impoverished country’s seven-year-old struggle with jihadism, which has forced an estimated 300,000 people to flee their homes. Among them is Boureima, head of a family of 43 people — seven men, 13 women and 23 children. They abandoned their village of Gassalpalik, 70 kilometres (44 miles) from Djibo, eventually washing up in Yagma, a village about 30 kms north of the capital Ouagadougou.
One of the two former French hostages released in northern Burkina Faso, Laurent Lassimouillas, pays tribute to the French soldiers killed in a rescue operation at the Presidential Palace of Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou.
One of the two former French hostages released in northern Burkina Faso, Laurent Lassimouillas, pays tribute to the French soldiers killed in a rescue operation at the Presidential Palace of Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou. SOUNDBITE *BETTER QUALITY TO FOLLOW*
Several thousand people demonstrate in Ouagadougou during a day of general strikes against the increase in the price of fuel and to demand a return to old prices.
In the women’s prison in Ouagadougou, 13 babies and toddlers are in detention alongside the normal inmates. Many convicted mothers have no choice but to take their children with them despite severe hygiene issues and a lack of resources to care for them.
Crocodiles may be one of the deadliest hunters in the animal kingdom, but in a small village in Burkina Faso it is not unusual to see someone sitting atop one of the fearsome reptiles. People in Bazoule, around 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the capital Ouagadougou, share their pond with more than 100 of the razor-toothed creatures.
Residents of Ouagadougou say they fear fresh attacks, after the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM), a jihadist group allied to al-Qaeda, on Saturday claimed responsibility for attacking the Burkinabe capital. Eight armed forces personnel were killed in the fighting in the West African nation on Friday, which was said to have been carried out in retaliation for a French operation in Mali.
Armed men attacked the French embassy in Burkina Faso and the country’s military headquarters before being repelled in a battle that left dozens of dead or injured.
Six people were killed in the Burkina Faso capital of Ouagadougou on Friday when they attacked the French embassy and the country’s military headquarters, the government said, adding that members of the security forces had also been wounded. PHOTOS of authorities responding to attack
Four assailants were killed Friday when they attacked the French embassy in the Burkina Faso capital Ouagadougou, while the country’s military headquarters was also targeted, the government said.VIDEOGRAPHIC
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Ouagadougou on Monday for the start of a three-day trip of western Africa aimed at boosting France’s regional influence. Welcomed by his Burkinabe counterpart Roch Marc Christian Kabore, Macron’s visit was marred by an attempted attack on French troops in the capital just hours before he touched down. IMAGES
Close to a thousand people march in silence down Ouagadougou’s main street in tribute to those who died in recent terror attacks and to protest against those who carried them out.
A Burkina Faso prosecutor confirmed the attackers of a restaurant in Ouagadougou who left 18 people dead were young men, and that among the dead were citizens from countries as far afield as Canada, France and Turkey.
Cornered by an angry mob in his presidential palace, “Beau Blaise” fled the country along with his entourage as protesters torched the National Assembly and other symbols of the old regime.
The VICE News Capsule is a news roundup that looks beyond the headlines. Today: protest in Burkina Faso against parliamentary vote to extend term limits of the presidency, Israeli polygamist cult leader convicted of sex crimes sentenced to 30 years, Mexican man hiding out in Denver church to avoid deportation, and Australian government urged to do far more to save the Great Barrier Reef.
BURKINA FASO
Protest Against Extension of Longtime President’s Term
Police fired tear gas at crowds in Ouagadougou as thousands gathered to say 27 years is enough for President Blaise Compaore.
ISRAEL
Polygamist Cult Leader Jailed for 30 Years for Sex Crimes
Goel Ratzon was convicted of aggravated rape, sodomy and other crimes against six of his 21 wives and 38 children.
U.S.A.
Mexican National Staying in Denver Church to Avoid Deportation
Immigration officials don’t pursue people who are in ‘sensitive’ places such as churches and schools unless they’ve committed serious crimes.
AUSTRALIA
Group Says Plan to Save Great Barrier Reef Falls Short
The Academy of Science is urging the government to take bolder action to preserve the reef, which has lost more than half its coral since 1985.
